P#18: A Barber Chair Stands Out in the Ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary
Tony Sweet describes this picture as part futuristic action flick and part horror movie barber chair
At first glance, this picture of a barber chair looks as though it was shot in a dilapidating environment. Tony explains exactly where this picture was taken and how he captured this shot.
A Photographer's Paradise
Tony Sweet: This photograph of a barber chair was shot at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. We are going to be filming an HDR instructional DVD there next week. This is only an example of what's there.
This was a five shot HDR, made them look pretty much a little more dramatic than it looks really but that's kind of what it looked like. You have a light coming in from the top, which spotlights the barber chair. I call this the Sweeney Todd -- Blade Runner barbershop because it's got that futuristic Blade Runner look, and it's got the Sweeney Todd barber chair. (click the image for a larger version)
Audri Lanford: I love it.
Tony Sweet: That's pretty much what it looked like. It's just a dramatically great place to photograph. It looks like everything's falling apart, but they keep it up and it's just HDR heaven, as I say on my blog. It's really nonstop.
We're going to go on a scouting trip with the video crew Tuesday and we're going to shoot there all day Wednesday. Then I'll do some HDR processing the next morning, then that will be out probably before Christmas I hope.
Audri Lanford: Great. We'll include links because I know that a lot of our subscribers and listeners are going to really want to know more about this after we've given this great intro.
Tony Sweet: I appreciate that. It was built in the '30s. Al Capone was there for a month. We got to photograph his cell. The whole place is extremely photogenic and colorful.
Audri Lanford: It really is.
Tony Sweet: The walls are all green and it's like dirt. There are some trees growing in some of them. It's just a very amazingly fun place to photograph.
To Conclude
Just looking at this picture, you'd never be able to tell where it had been photographed. Some places are just ripe with photographic opportunities. Tony Sweet captures many of his photographs in photogenic locations -- some of them quite unique and surprising. Who would have thought this barber chair was a prison shot?
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